The Darkness
by CocoDisney
Summary: When Gumball has a rather frightening nightmare, even he knows that there's more behind the story than what appears. His family and friends know it, too. This is all later revealed to be true when a dark force plans to take over. It's going to take friends and enemies alike to save themselves, the town, and, unknowingly and most importantly, their show.
1. The Nightmare

(Note: _The Amazing World of Gumball_ and all its characters belong to Ben Bocquelet.)

**My first ****_The Amazing World of Gumball _****fanfiction! Man, I have loved that show for so long. I don't care how old I am. (I'm not giving away my age, but I will tell you I am young enough to still be in school.) I don't think there's any age limit to watching cartoons, in my opinion. Inspiration for this fic comes from Supersinger9000's ****_Breaking the Fourth Wall_****. Okay, I've done enough rambling. You may proceed to read! **

Tired. Just tired. That was all he felt. He could vaguely see a blue cat standing over him, luring him with everything he wanted to be. He could barely hear a voice call out to him, but he couldn't make out the words. He then descended into darkness…

In the town of Elmore, all its residents were sleeping peacefully. Well, except for a certain blue feline. He was tossing and turning while whimpering. Let's have a look inside his mind.

Gumball Watterson was standing in what looked to be his home, since it was the same, yet somehow...different. He turned around and around, taking in all his surroundings. He seemed to be alone, although unfortunately that wasn't the case.

"Hello, Gumball." said a deep voice Gumball knew all too well. He swiveled his large cartoonish head around, and, sure enough, it was someone he thought he'd never see again.

"Zach?!" he cried out in confusion and surprise. The purple-shaded, collar-popping clone that stood before him was smirking evilly with one of his eyebrows raised smugly.

Zach took off his sunglasses. "You really thought Zach would go away and never return? You really thought making your lame nickname your legal one would be enough to make sure I would be gone forever? You are sadly mistaken."

Gumball just stood there, gaping. Zach continued.

"Anyway, when someone messes with him, Zach messes with them back! Right now, my target is you, Gumball. I will also get revenge on your family, since they took part in my downfall. However, since this is a dream and not real life, it won't happen right now. But I will be there. Just you wait…"

As Zach said those words, the house started falling apart. Gumball screamed and tried to run, but an invisible force seemed to be preventing his body from moving. With terror-stricken eyes, he looked up at Zach, who was smiling viciously.

"Like I said, this is a dream, only you're not in control, I am!" Zach shouted, his voice echoing the last two words all around. Gumball, his efforts in vain, tried to dodge some falling debris. For the last time, he glanced at his doppelganger.

"Until next time, Gumball!" he boomed, then cackled maniacally.

Darkness started to cloud everything. It covered the house and Zach and eventually started wrapping itself around Gumball's body. His screams were drowned out by Zach's evil laughter.

**Well, what a cliffhanger! I apologize in advance if I get anyone in this story out of character. I know Gumball would usually say something sarcastic, but there are times he knows he needs to be serious. You will see it a lot. I know, because I have the whole story written out in advance. I will usually update on weekends, but, if I have time, I will on weekdays. If anyone is wondering, the full story is fifteen chapters long.**

**As mentioned before, I LOVE this show. It's a show meant for kids, but isn't all happy-go-lucky. My favorite episodes are The Disaster and The Rerun. Rob is also my favorite character. I will explain why in future author notes, since I think I've talked long enough. ****_Shalom_****, everyone! (It's a saying for "goodbye" in Hebrew.) See you all next time.**


	2. The Worry

**Chapter 2 up! I know that it was only yesterday I posted this story, but I couldn't wait! Besides, you can't hang off the edge of the cliff forever.**

Gumball awoke with a gasp, accidentally hitting his head on the top of his bunk bed, tears trickling down his cheeks. He then became aware of someone shaking him. He looked down to see an orange fish with legs that had a concerned look on his face.

"Gumball, are you okay? Your screaming woke me up." Darwin whispered, worried.

"And me." added a young female pink rabbit from the top of the bunk.

Gumball took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. "Yeah, I think I am now. Just a nightmare."

His siblings looked at each other, doubt on their faces. "Are you sure?" Darwin asked .

"Yes, really. I'm fine." assured Gumball.

"Well, okay." said Darwin as he squeezed back into his fishbowl. Deep down, he knew his adoptive brother wasn't okay. Whatever was bothering him, he clearly did not want to talk about right now. Maybe he could ask him later.

Darwin waited until Gumball was fast asleep, then he peaked a little from his fishbowl to see Anais, their little sister, was also still awake.

"What do you think is wrong with Gumball?" Darwin asked quietly so he wouldn't disrupt his older azure sibling's much-needed sleep.

"I don't know. I think it has something to do with the nightmare." Anais said.

"Do you think the nightmare could be something more?"

"It could be possible. From my research on nightmares, they have been known to foreshadow things. Like a natural disaster, for instance. Or failing a test."

"Well, I'm going to ask him about it tomorrow." Darwin declared.

"That's good." Anais said as she lay back down on her bed with a yawn.

The next morning, as Darwin poured fish flakes into his bowl, he noticed that Gumball was unusually quiet. He didn't make a fuss when he took the nutrient-rich cereal from their blue cat mother, Nicole, or comment on their fat pink rabbit dad, Richard, sleeping at the table.

Nicole, being the caring mother she was, immediately noticed.

"Gumball, is something wrong, sweetie? If something's bothering you, you can tell me."

"No, I'm fine, Mom. You don't need to worry." Gumball said, forcing a smile on his face.

Nicole gave a concerned look, but didn't say anything else. When Rocky Robinson, the orange furry Muppet-like puppet who worked at their school, pulled up the school bus at their house, Gumball just grabbed his stuff and headed out with only a brief goodbye, his sister and brother following.

In the bus, while his classmates were talking excitingly with their friends, Gumball just sat alone, staring outside, as if he were looking for something. His girlfriend, a golden fairy-like antlered shapeshifter named Penny Fitzgerald, took note of his strange behavior. She came up and sat next to him.

"Gumball, are you okay? You look worried." Penny asked in that soft voice Gumball loved.

Gumball turned, and he quickly put on a brave face when he saw his beloved. "Yeah, I'm fine, I'm fine."

Penny wasn't convinced. She knew her boyfriend pretty well, and could tell when he was lying.

"Come on, Gumball. You don't need to lie. Just tell me what's bothering you, and we can work it out together."

Gumball sighed, then yelled, "It's complicated, okay?! It's something even you wouldn't believe!"

Penny was taken back by his sudden outburst. Gumball, realizing his tone, said "Sorry, Penny. It's just that I'm not sure you would understand."

Penny said, "Of course I'll believe you, no matter how outrageous it may sound."

Gumball leaned in and cupped his hands around his mouth, then whispered into her ear. "Thanks, Penny. So, it's like this…"

**Always letting your girlfriend know first, huh, Gumball? Even if she asked you to. You do realize that she cares for you, and will do what's best for you...**

**I know the chapters are short, but as the story progresses, I promise you, they will get longer. Just be patient. Things are also going to get more interesting...(rubs hands together, snickering.) Anyway, that's all, folks! Cut!**


	3. The Feeling

**I just want to thank all who reviewed this story. They mean a lot to me, as I am still a new writer on this site. Again, I promise, the chapters will get longer. Expect a longer one next time!**

Penny was surprised as Gumball finished his story. She wasn't sure if she should believe him, despite her earlier reassurance. Then again, if he were bluffing, she would know. By the way he described his nightmare, she could assume that it was real.

Her face must've portrayed her thoughts, because Gumball asked, "Do you really believe me?"

"I can believe that you had a nightmare, but that an evil alter ego of you is out for revenge? I'm not sure if I should just go along with it or call you crazy." Penny admitted.

"Well, it was so real. I even got this feeling that it wasn't a nightmare, but a vision." Gumball said.

"Well, as they say, always trust your instincts. If this is real, I'm willing to help you." Penny held out her hand to Gumball. Gumball smiled for real and accepted it.

"That's why I'm glad you're my girlfriend." he said, kissing her on the cheek.

Meanwhile, with Darwin, he was sitting with his own girlfriend, Carrie Krueger, who was an emo ghost. He had been telling her what was going on.

"So, you're saying, Gumball had a nightmare and he's refusing to tell you about it?" Carrie asked.

Darwin nodded. "That pretty much sums it up."

Carrie said, "I don't really enjoy nightmares, not even before we started dating, and that tells you a lot."

"I'm just curious, what usually appears in your worst nightmare?"

Carrie cringed. "Oh, it's horrible. There's singing suns and flowers and bright colors all around…"

Darwin joked, "Maybe you can give it to me. I wouldn't mind having a dream like that."

Carrie grinned. "If only it were possible…"

Just then, the bus pulled up in front of Elmore Junior High. The kids made a mad rush for the doors, except for Gumball and Penny, who walked in holding hands.

"Just so you know, in case you see him, Zach looks like me, except he wears purple shades, pops out his collar, and speaks in a deeper tone of voice." Gumball explained.

Penny nodded. "Got it."

All throughout the day, Gumball and Penny looked around for the evil doppelganger. Their baboon teacher, Miss Simian, noticed the strange behavior and decided to keep an eye on them, since she knew that the cat boy and his fish brother were always up to trouble.

At recess, Darwin was about to approach Gumball, but saw him with Penny on a bench. When Gumball got up to go to the restroom, Penny waved him over. She looked around to make sure nobody was nearby, then whispered, "Get your sister and Carrie, and hurry! I know what's wrong with Gumball. He told me."

Darwin raced off, then came back with the requested people. Penny had them gather in a tight circle behind a tree, then explained to them what Gumball told her.

**Now Darwin, Anais, and Carrie know. Wonder how Gumball will react when he finds out...**

**Carrie's nightmare is a reference to "The Night". for those who don't know.**

**Stay tuned for the next chapter! I bid you all ****_adieu_****!**


	4. The Aid

**Two chapters in one day! We had a free period in school, so I'm using the time to post this chapter. Consider this my Valentine's Day's gift to you all!**

Darwin, Anais, and Carrie's expressions mirrored Penny's when she found out about Gumball's troubles.

"No wonder he was reluctant to tell us about it!" Darwin exclaimed.

"Considering our own experiences with Zach." Anais remarked.

"Hey, I think I remember him." Carrie said. "One time, I was just opening my locker when a cat that looked like your description came up and told me that emos are lame."

"Now that I think of it, I'm recalling memories of the same cat riding around the school, knocking some of our classmates and teachers down on a skateboard." Penny said thoughtfully.

"But something doesn't make sense. How could Zach come back if he was destroyed when Gumball managed to remember his name and write it down on the legal papers?" Darwin asked.

"Just because it seems he's gone doesn't mean he could've been erased permanently." Anais said. "It's like those movies where the villain seems to be defeated, but rises back up unexpectedly."

"Anyway, you've got to help Gumball. He told me to keep an eye out for Zach, so you should do the same." Penny said.

"We'll tell Mr. Dad and Mrs. Mom too." Darwin promised.

"And I can get my family in as well. I would inform my spirit friends, but they are only allowed in the mortal world during Halloween, so they won't be much help." Carrie said.

"And I can tell my friends." said a voice. The group looked up to see it was the tree they were under who was talking. They were shocked for a second, but shrugged it off, since they knew everything was alive in Elmore.

Penny smiled. "Thanks, everyone. Now, I have to go. Gumball's going to be back soon." She rushed off.

After school, at home, Darwin and Anais got Gumball distracted by some new posts on Elmore Stream-It, then went downstairs. Nicole was in the kitchen chopping some vegetables for dinner, and Richard was in the living room watching TV while munching on some snacks.

"Mom, Dad, can we talk to you?" Anais asked.

Nicole set aside what she was doing. "Of course. We're your parents, you can tell us anything."

They went to where Richard was, who appeared not to have heard Anais' question.

"Richard, please pause the TV. Our kids want to tell us something." Nicole ordered.

"Aww. But it's about to get to the best part." Richard whined.

In response, Nicole gave a menacing glare at her husband, who quickly complied with her request.

Darwin and Anais sat on the couch. "So, we know what's wrong with Gumball." Darwin explained.

"And, now, we want to tell you, so we can all help him." Anais added.

Their parents stayed silent, having been wondering all day of what was troubling their oldest son, and now wanting to hear what their two other children had to say.

"Last night, Gumball had a nightmare. It was about Zach." the fish started.

Nicole and Richard's eyes widened, having been reminded of their own experiences with the malevolent alter ego. Darwin continued.

"He told Gumball that he was going to get his revenge on him and us." Anais then took over.

"He screamed in his sleep, and it woke us up. Darwin came over and shook him awake. We asked him what was wrong, but he assured us that it was a nightmare, no more. But we knew he was lying."

Darwin said, "At some time today, Penny convinced him to tell her about it. She let us in on it."

"Penny also told us that Gumball thinks it's not just a dream, but a warning for events yet to come." Anais explained.

The thin athletic female cat and the stout lazy male rabbit sat in shock, Gumball's behavior making sense.

"So, we want you two to promise that you'll give us a hand in helping him, in case Zach is really out there, plotting his revenge." Darwin said.

Nicole immediately agreed. "If I see that poor excuse for my son again, I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget!" she vowed, punching her fist into her hand.

Usually, Darwin would've felt sorry for whoever had to endure his mother's wrath. But now, he could make an exception.

Richard also said yes, as he still wanted to be the man of the house and didn't want to be forced to dress up like a lady.

"Hey, what's going on?" Gumball asked, coming down the stairs. The videos he had watched weren't that good, just mostly Banana Joe showing off his weird dances and Tobias Wilson the rainbow cloud-like being trying to flirt with Carmen the cactus, even though she already had a boyfriend, who, ironically, was a balloon.

Darwin came up. "We know, Gumball. We all do."

Gumball was confused. "Know what?"

"About your nightmare." Anais said.

Gumball was shocked. "How-"

"Penny told us." Darwin stated simply.

"And Carrie too." their little sister said.

"And they told us." Nicole said. She came up and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Honey, you don't need to hide these things from us. No matter what, we'll help you." she assured, kissing his forehead.

Gumball looked up at his family. "Sorry I didn't tell you guys sooner. I was afraid to, since it involved Zach."

Richard smiled. "If anything involves him, we'll help you defeat him again."

The Wattersons all came together in a group hug. No matter of what was about to come, they'll endure it together.

**Aww, some family fluff! Wattersons, you might want to make the most out of however much time you've got left...**

**Penny's memories of Zach are a reference to "The Name" **

**Next chapter, we'll be taking a look at the bad guys. What exactly ****_is_**** their plan?**

**CocoDisney out!**


	5. The Baddies

**Welcome back! Happy Friday, everyone! I forgot to put this in last chapter, but the tree talking was a reference to "The World". Let's take a break from our heroes and go to the villains! Mwahahaha! **

Meanwhile, in an unknown place outside of Elmore…

Zach stepped out of a machine. "It's done, sir. Gumball knows." he said.

"Good." replied a deep voice. A figure in a cloak emerged from the shadows.

"Are any of us going to do nightmares?" asked a fish who looked like Darwin, except he wore military-style clothing, had devilish eyes, sharp teeth, and a villainous voice.

"No, I think that's enough. Besides, Gumball will probably tell everyone he knows, so no need for further actions until the right time."

"Then what was the point in bringing us back?" snorted a rabbit who looked similar to Anais, except that she had a permanent evil expression plastered on her face.

"So that you and the rest can take over your good counterparts and eventually the show." answered the dark figure.

"But my counterpart isn't even good. Why would taking over him be worth it?" pointed out a brown-haired cyclops with static on parts of his grey skin. He had a slight British accent and wore cardboard armor.

"Because, while he may be the villain of the series, there was that one time he showed that he had a heart. To be a true villain, he needs to look, sound, and act like one."

"But didn't he look and sound like me for a short time until he eventually changed that with a universal remote?"

"Yes, but I wish the show's creators kept that permanent."

The figure, Zach, Dictator Darwin, Evil Anais, and the cyclops, Dr. Wrecker, all walked into another room. In it, was a predator-like female blue cat with makeup that looked similar to the Joker's from _Batman_, a crazed male pink rabbit, a golden figure with a metal device on her head, and a ghost girl who was teleporting all around the room.

"I assume you all want to know the next phase in our plan." stated the figure.

The people all nodded, coming closer to him.

"So, here it is. In a few weeks, after we have all finished creating evil clones of all the people in Elmore, based off of their bad traits, we will confront them head on. Then, we will convince them to let us in. Finally, we will use them to take over the show so we can run it our way."

Everyone laughed evilly. "I can't wait to become the popular kid at school!" cried Zach.

"I can't wait to turn Elmore into a danger-free zone, and say what I want to whoever I want!" gloated Dictator Darwin.

"I can't wait to dispose of my brothers, so I can get my parents' full attention!" cackled Evil Anais.

Everyone else said what they were going to do once they took over their counterparts' bodies.

"Also, Zach will be doing more nightmares so we can take over everybody at once." added the figure.

"But didn't you just say-" started Evil Anais.

"My mistake. In order for this to work, we need to give Gumball more warnings."

The figure then turned to Dr. Wrecker. "And I have something for you that might help you take over Rob."

Dr. Wrecker stared at the object the figure had in his hands, then grinned evilly.

**Uh-oh, the show itself is at stake! The figure, since I can't come up with a name for him, he will just be called "the figure" His reasons for taking over the show will be revealed later.**

**Dictator Darwin is a reference to Darwin in "The Words" and "The Safety".**

**Evil Anais is a reference to Anais' infant self in "The Rival".**

**Dr. Wrecker made his appearances in "The Nemesis", "The Bus", and the beginning part of "The Disaster". And yes, Rob will appear later in this story. Any guesses for what that mysterious object might be?**

**They won't make ****any more mentioned appearances, but Nicole's counterpart is a reference to "The Limit", Richard's is a reference to "The Prank" (I am aware that he was only pretending, but I couldn't think of anything better.), Penny's is a reference to "The Console", and Carrie's is a reference to "The Ghost".**

**Wow, my longest author note ever! Keep an eye out for the next chapter this weekend. Goodbye!**


	6. The Warnings

**Hi, everybody! Chapter 6 is here! I'm not sure how long the time skip is here, but I imagine it being a few days later.**

Gumball shot up in bed, breathing hard. He just had another Zach nightmare. In it, Zach said that there were more of "them" out there, and that he better get ready for the "fight". Did that mean that there was going to be a really big war? He hoped not.

"Another one?" asked a voice. Gumball turned to see Darwin, all squished inside his water-filled fishbowl. Sometimes, he wondered how his brother could possibly be comfortable sleeping in there, but it could have something to do with the fact that he was a fish.

"Yes. This time, Zach said that there were more of 'them', and that there was going to be fighting." Gumball replied.

Anais peeked over her bed so that she was facing Gumball upside down. "I think what he means, as he is your doppelganger, that there are other alter egos of us out there too."

"I can't imagine what my clone would be like." Darwin shuddered.

"This is really big; I can feel it." Gumball put his hand on his chest.

"I know. I think we should expand this information beyond our family and our girlfriends." Darwin advised.

"Tell the entire town? No, not yet. Not until we know for sure that there's going to be a war." Gumball argued.

"Gumball, you do realize when you do something like this, it usually backfires on you. I think Darwin is right. The sooner everyone knows, the better. Besides, it might be too late by the time you know for sure." Anais pointed out.

Gumball sighed. For once, he couldn't argue with that. Considering how many times his plans went awry, it might be best to take his siblings' advice. After all, it was always better to be safe than sorry.

"Alright. So, who should we tell first?"

"How about Rob?" Darwin piped up.

Gumball choked on his own breath. "But he hates me. He proclaimed it himself."

"Yeah, but just because he's your nemesis doesn't mean he won't be willing to help save Elmore, if it comes to that. It's you he cares about destroying, not the world."

"But he could betray me at any second."

"Still, I think it's a risk worth taking."

"Besides, according to how big this thing is making out to be, it's pretty likely there is going to be a war. We're going to need everyone's help on this, whether they're friends or not." Anais said.

Gumball opened his mouth to reply, but Darwin quickly interjected. "How about we compromise? You don't have to get Rob's help first, but, in return, ask Tobias, Banana Joe, and Ocho."

"Sounds fair to me. I'll ask them tomorrow." Gumball said as he lay back down on his bed and pulled the covers over himself. He closed his eyes, but he didn't go to sleep right away. He knew Tobias would agree to right away, as he was always trying to be the popular guy he claimed to be. Banana Joe would say yes without even thinking about the consequences he might face. And Ocho...well, he didn't know how the eight-bit spider would respond.

The next day, at school, sure enough, all three guys agreed to help. They had a bit of trouble believing him first, but, with a little help from Penny, gave in. Right now, at recess, Gumball, Darwin, Anais, Penny, and Carrie all sat on a bench, recalling memories of Zach.

"He kicked Darwin and me out of our room and made me move into a boot." Anais said.

"He also made me share a tank with the Evil Turtle and cut in front of everybody in line at the grocery store and had me take the blame." Darwin said.

"It's kind of fuzzy, but I remember that, inside my head, I was fighting for my existence and forced to watch as Zach changed almost all my memories to his design, me fading more and more with each new change. Luckily, the time Darwin and I went to the arcade before the whole thing started had not been changed yet, and I was able to remember my name, and, when I did, he broke into pieces." Gumball said.

Penny gasped. "I can't believe that you almost disappeared! I'm glad that you were victorious."

Gumball grinned. "Why, thank you Penny. Now, excuse me, I'm going to get some water."

Gumball got up and headed for a nearby water fountain. As he sipped the liquid, out of the corner of his eye, he saw Zach. Spitting out his drink, he stumbled back, shaking his head rapidly, hoping that it was just an illusion. When he looked again, Zach was still there.

"Long time no see, Gumball." sneered the doppelganger, stepping toward him. Gumball just stood there, paralyzed.

"As you can see, Zach doesn't just appear in dreams. I've been watching you, and, to answer your question if there is going to be a war, I can confirm it is true."

Gumball's eyes widened, his jaw dropping, literally. He quickly picked it up and set it back into place.

"Also, to clear up of what I meant by 'them', your sister is right. We are creating evil clones of everyone in Elmore." Zach continued.

"But why are you doing this? I mean, I understand why you want revenge on me and my family, but why everyone else? What did they do to deserve it?" Gumball asked.

"Reasons will be revealed later, at the battlefield. Until then, be prepared." With that, Zach disappeared.

Gumball wanted to go after him, but with no knowledge of where he had gone, that was impossible. Sighing, he just walked back over to his friends.

Meanwhile, at the evil lair, Zach got out of another machine. The dark figure from before came over to him. "Sorry about the unexpected change of plans, Zach, but, with Gumball being confused over what you said in the last dream, we needed to make him understand. And not in a dream, since you can't really believe everything that happens in those."

"It's alright. Besides, I was getting a bit bored of doing the nightmares." Zach said. The two walked into another room, where Dr. Wrecker and Evil Anais were trying out the device the figure had given them earlier. The doppelgangers laughed as they made the lights switch on and off.

The figure peeked in. "Don't play with it too much; I don't want to waste money on batteries!"

The clones sighed and put it aside.

"I know you guys aren't having much fun right now, but, trust me, once we advance to the next stage of our plan, things are going to get more interesting."

Dictator Darwin came up. "Good, because things have gotten so boring that I was considering flaking out of this. You can only throw so many insults at someone before that gets old fast."

The figure sighed. He feared if it continued being like this, his minions would either drop out or go on with his plans before he said they could do so. He decided he might as well move the date of the battle several days up. After all, they had finished making the clones faster than anticipated.

**Man, I just LOVE putting foreshadowing in my stories. I know I kind of made it obvious, but there is another one that's hidden here. How about we make a game out of this? In your reviews, see if you can spot all the foreshadowings. Not just in this chapter, either. There's another one that's in Gumball's first nightmare. Whoever gets the most gets a shoutout in the final chapter.**

**Back to this chapter, looks like there will be a war in Elmore very soon. Our heroes better get ready! Also, about the mysterious device, for those who are familiar with the show, I guess I just gave away what it was. Rob will make his physical appearance next chapter! Be on the lookout for it on a ****_The Amazing World of Gumball_**** Fanfiction Archive near you!**


	7. The Enlisting

**Chapter 6 is up! Supersinger9000, sorry that I said this so late, but you're welcome. I will be using some of your stuff later in this story, so I hope you don't mind. I will give you credit, don't worry.**

**I've been looking at my traffic graphs lately, and I can't believe how many international people are seeing my work. This means a lot to me. Thank you all!**

In the Watterson household, Gumball had informed everyone of his encounter with Zach. The family, along with Penny and Carrie, all gathered to the living room to decide what to do now.

"So, I think we should scatter across Elmore, getting everyone's help on this." said Darwin.

Everyone agreed. "I'll enlist everyone in the Rainbow Factory." Nicole said.

"I'll get help from our school." said Carrie.

"Penny, Mr. Dad, and I will go through our neighborhood and city." said Darwin.

"And I'll…" Gumball trailed off as he ran out of places he could get people from.

Darwin crossed his fins. "You seriously can't think of somewhere, or, rather, _someone_ you could get help from?"

Gumball shook his head. "Sorry, dude, I've got nothing."

The legged fish marched over and slapped Gumball on the cheek. "I'll give you a hint. We were talking about him last night."

Rubbing his sore spot, the answer came to Gumball. "What?! Why me?"

"You know Rob the most, Gumball. While he's my nemesis as well, for whatever reason, right now it seems he's targeting only you. So, I think you're the best person for the job."

"But when you said that you and Penny and Dad were going to go through almost all of Elmore, I thought-"

"Just do it!"

Gumball looked at his family and friends, all with pleading looks in their eyes. He remembered Anais saying that they were going to need all of Elmore to fight against the darkness, no matter who they were. He sighed in defeat.

"Okay, okay, I'll do it. I'll even go right now if you want."

Darwin smiled smugly. "I knew you would."

"Just shut up, man." Gumball went out the front door. If he knew his enemy, he'd be in the mall, collecting items to destroy him with.

A little while later, Gumball found himself in front of Elmore Mall. He took a deep breath, then went in.

Gumball searched around until he found who he was looking for. On a bench next to a fountain, sat a glitchy cyclops on a phone, probably cooking up a new evil scheme.

Gumball walked over. "Hey, Rob."

Rob looked up in surprise, then scowled at the sight of his nemesis. "What do you want?"

"Look, I know you hate me, but please, just listen to what I have to say. It's really important."

Rob rolled his eye. "Fine. Just make it quick."

Gumball braced himself, then everything went tumbling out of his mouth. "Before I start, I just want you to know that you may have trouble believing this. And I don't blame you. I wouldn't believe it if someone else told me this. So, here it is: An evil version of me named Zach and some other doppelgangers of everyone are going to wage war here in Elmore. Right now, me and my family and friends are enlisting the help of everybody. By everybody, I mean _everybody_. That includes you, Rob."

Rob almost said, "Why would you want help from me?", but caught himself and instead asked, "Why would I want to help you?"

"I'll admit it, this wasn't my choice. Darwin pressured me into doing this. Trust me, you'd be nonexistent on the list of people I'd want to get help from."

Rob sighed. Of course, this wasn't the hero's decision to talk to the villain. The hero also usually wasn't crazy. If Gumball was the comic relief character on the show they were living in, Rob would have trouble believing him, since it was always hard for people to take the funny character seriously. Even though Gumball was his enemy, he couldn't shake the feeling that what he said was the honest truth. But he couldn't help him. It simply doesn't work when the protagonist and the antagonist work together. Rob knew he couldn't tell Gumball all that. Gumball would get confused, and he would have to explain their TV existence.

But, wasn't this the same cat who risked his own existence just to save him? And helped him become more evil? Rob had repaid him by reverting things back to normal, but at the cost of their newly-found friendship. Maybe, just maybe, he could get that back. But the world, or rather, writers of the show wouldn't let that happen. His purpose in life was to be the villain. As much as he wanted to, he couldn't change that. And he would do anything just to stay out of the Void.

Rob was conflicted on what to do. Then, he realized, if someone else got to Gumball first, that someone would've fulfilled his purpose. And, since he would no longer have a purpose to live, he would end up in limbo again.

Finally making up his mind, Rob said, "Fine, I'll help you. But, after this, things are back to normal. Got it?"

"Got it." Gumball replied, holding his hand out to shake. Rob hesitated, wondering if he should take it. After going back and forth in his mind, he did.

At the convenience store, a black-masked thumbprint named Sal Left Thumb was taking money from a tip jar while a tied-up origami rock humanoid, Larry Needlemyer, watched in horror, when Darwin burst through the doors.

"Hey, thumbprint guy! Larry! There's going to be a war! We need your help!" he shouted.

At school the principal, a furry brown slug with glasses, was doing some paperwork when Carrie appeared.

"Principal Brown, mind if I borrow this?" she said as she flew into his mouth and possessed him.

With Carrie controlling him, Principal Brown got hold of the speakers that were used for announcements. He cranked the volume up so high that it could be heard halfway across Elmore. Carrie hoped it would be loud enough for all the kids and teachers to hear.

"Attention all students and staff, I inform you that there will be a war happening in a while. This is not fake, I assure you. So go prepare yourselves." Principal Brown boomed into the speakers. Carrie then floated out of him.

At an old camper, Richard pounded on the door. "Hey, Dad, open up!"

An old obese gray rat with a black eye came out. "Richard, what's going on?"

"There's going to be a big war!"

At the Rainbow Factory, Nicole rounded up all the employees that worked there with the help of her cloud-humanoid friend Yuki Yoshida, who was the wife of the owner. Penny managed to get all of her neighbors in, even the grumpy Robinsons.

The group met at the park, each reporting in about their success. They were very impressed the Gumball managed to get Rob to help. When asked how, he said, "I actually don't know. I think Rob decided on his own. I didn't even try to convince him."

**Sorry if you feel that I made Rob give in too easily. But if you think about it, Rob isn't really a full-fledged villain. I mean, yes he has done questionable actions, but he doesn't have plans for world dominance or something like that. In case you don't know, Rob is indeed a self-aware character. **

**Rob is someone some people can relate with. He's stuck in a role he doesn't want to play, and is questioning his identity. His actions are justifiable, seeing as he only wants revenge for being forgotten and abandoned in the Void. This is why he's one of my favorite characters.**

**The Void has a key point later on in this story.**

**Be prepared for more fourth-wall breaking! **

**In unrelated news, I got a new poster for Valentine's Day. It's a picture of WALL-E, EVE, and M-O from ****_WALL-E_****. Speaking of, if you haven't read my other story, ****_Is This What is Called Happiness?_****, check it out.**

**Whew! This beats my record. I'm going to close this chapter now. ****_Adios!_**


	8. The Info

**Here's Chapter 8. If you're wondering why Anais wasn't in the last chapter, things will be explained here.**

**Fun Fact: Anais not being in the last chapter was originally an error, but I decided to make it work.**

"Hey, where's Anais?" asked Darwin, looking around.

The group then realized she wasn't with them. They hadn't even noticed she hadn't been with them all along.

"All I remember is walking home from school with her." said Gumball.

"Well, we'll have to go back home to see if we accidently left her behind." said Nicole.

"Leave that to me. Stand back." ordered Penny.

The Wattersons and the ghost did as they were told. Penny then shapeshifted into a red-orange dragon with antlers, big enough to carry them all.

Gumball was impressed. "I thought your forms were based on your emotions."

"Yes, but I've gotten better control of my powers." Penny explained in a deeper voice.

The family then climbed onto Penny's back. She opened her wings, and took off. Carrie flew alongside them.

They then reached the Wattersons' house. Penny turned back into her default form, and they all headed inside, calling Anais' name.

Gumball and Darwin then went upstairs to their room, having heard some sounds in there. They opened the door to find their sister on the computer.

"Hey, guys. Want to see what I'm working on? It's for the war." Anais said.

Without saying anything, the brothers complied and went up to the computer.

On the screen, there was what looked to be a map of Elmore and the surrounding regions. There was a blue dot where their house was, and a bunch of red ones multiplying rapidly off in the distance.

"Is this..." Gumball started.

"A tracking device. I've managed to locate where the villains were, and load it into this map."

"But how? In all of Gumball's encounters with Zach, he never gave a clue to where he came from." Darwin pointed out.

"I've been working on this before this whole war thing started. I've been getting traces of activity in an unknown area. I made it my mission to find out what was going on. And, now, I do." Anais explained.

Gumball and Darwin stared with matching expressions.

"Plus, when the red dots start moving in, we'll know it's war time."

Gumball slowly broke into a wide, weird smile. He put his arms out, and wrapped them around his smart little sister.

"Why, thank you, Anais. Now we won't be caught by surprise." he said slowly.

"Uh, you're welcome. Now, I would appreciate it if you would get away from me." Anais replied, a bit creeped out by her older brother.

Nicole, Richard, Penny, and Carrie then appeared at the doorway. "What is going on?" the blue feline asked.

Anais explained what she had told her siblings. The parents and girlfriends, like Gumball and Darwin, were grateful.

Meanwhile, with the dark side, Zach, Dictator Darwin, and Evil Anais were spying on the Wattersons. They had seen everything.

"Glad the leader had finally given us something to do." said the malevolent fish.

"Yeah." agreed the rabbit.

"Guys, shut up. They might hear you." Zach put a finger to his lips.

The other two grumbled, but didn't say anything else.

A few minutes later, Dictator Darwin said, "Never mind, this is getting boring. Besides, I think we have enough information."

Zach sighed, then looked down at his wrist. "Okay, we can stop. It's almost time to report back to the base."

"How do you know? You don't even have a watch." said Evil Anais.

"Don't question Zach. Let's just go." The trio of doppelgangers then hopped off the roof of the Wattersons' house and climbed into a vehicle, then drove off.

That night, with the good side, nobody could really sleep, with the thought of war in their minds. In his lair, Rob just lay awake, thinking about what his nemesis told him. Despite saying yes, it was still hard to wrap his mind around the fact that there was going to be a big battle.

Finally, Rob got up, and turned the lights on, rays illuminating a bunch of papers to the right. In the middle, stood the plans to go to the Awesome Store and buy something there that would help him destroy Gumball.

He remembered that day like it was yesterday. He had gotten a universal remote that allowed him to literally control everything. Everything had been really hectic, as Gumball seemed to already know what was going to happen. In the end, after Gumball's attempt to save him from the Void, they became friends, as he was touched that his nemesis cared enough to not abandon him. It was short-lived, as he had to turn things back to normal in return, Gumball's memories vanishing with it.

Sometimes, Rob wondered if the show's writers meant for him to escape from the Void. He knew his past status as a minor character, not really having a role in this world was the reason he got sent there in the first place, along with Molly, a sauropod classmate. Gumball, Darwin, and the school counselor, a fluffy cloud man named Mr. Small, went into the Void themselves to rescue her. They had blown past him, not even hearing his cries for help. So, he latched onto the back of a hippie van they were driving. Gumball, Darwin, Mr. Small, and Molly got out unscathed, but due to the Void trying to pull him back in, he ended up disfigured.

When Rob got out, nobody remembered him. It didn't help that all traces of him existing had vanished. He himself forgot who he was or where he came from. So he hid in the Wattersons' basement for some time.

Gumball and Darwin eventually found him, and were the first to suggest he become their arch-nemesis. This had triggered his memories, and, from then on, swore to destroy them and everybody they loved.

Rob clutched his head, too many thoughts swirled through it. He needed to clear his mind. Perhaps a night walk would do.

Rob breathed in the cool, misty air. He began to walk, surprised that he wasn't the only one doing so. He could spot his former classmates out in the streets. Tina, Teri, Leslie, Molly, Tobias, Joe, Ocho, Bobert, Anton, Idaho, Juke, Sussie, William, Jamie, Colin, Felix, Clayton, Sarah, Masami, Hector, Carmen, Alan…

He could also see many lights on in houses. It was clear that with war in the air, everybody was on high alert in case there was an attack or something.

With it being such a gorgeous night, it was hard to believe that there was even was going to be a life-changing battle. Stars twinkled above in the endless violet-blue sky. In the middle of it was a full moon, so bright it cast soothing rays of light on the town below. A gentle breeze blew through the trees.

Rob stopped, taking a moment to appreciate the beauty. Whoever made the background should receive an award. It was like they could sense everyone's uneasiness about the fight, and decided to put all their effort to make a comfortable environment for them.

Rob smiled at his surroundings, which was something he didn't usually do. After losing everything to the Void, he became somewhat depressed and shut everyone out. But, since everything was going to change soon, he might as well be grateful for what he had right now.

**Looks like things are peaceful for now, but not for long. Very soon, war's going to be declared...**

**I wanted to give out more information about Rob, as a way to understand him better. I only now just realized it, but this chapter's title actually fits in with that.**

**Readers, grab your weapons, because it's war time next chapter! Be prepared!**


	9. The War: Part One

**Finally! It's time, everybody. I can already hear the war chants...**

Early in the morning, at the edge of Elmore, the figure gathered all of his comrades. "Today is the day of battle! We will make our counterparts be more like ourselves. Then, we will take over the show!"

The army cheered and started marching into the town quietly.

In the Wattersons' siblings' bedroom, the computer started to beep. In an instant, Gumball, Darwin, and Anais crowded around the device. Their eyes widened realizing what was going on.

"War." they all whispered in unison.

In the blink of an eye, Nicole and Richard were up and out the door, along with their children, waking everybody who was still sleeping, shouting, "War!"

In the park, Rob lay slumped across a bench, eye closed, when it suddenly shot open at the shouts.

The people of Elmore all gathered together and started to walk, the Wattersons leading the way.

Both sides met at the park, where there was a lot of space. Gumball stood at the front, surrounded by his family. To his right was Penny with her loved ones. To his left was Rob and Carrie. Behind them, was everybody else, from Hot Dog Guy to the monsters from the Forest of Doom to the senior citizens.

The dark forces were arranged the same way, the figure watching from the sidelines.

Gumball narrowed his eyes. "Zach." he growled.

"Gumball." the doppelganger sneered back. "So, we meet again, but this time with armies. Are you ready for this?"

Gumball balled his fists and kicked up some dust. "I was born ready! Attack!" he hollered, pointing at the enemy.

The Elmore citizens screamed, and ran toward their opposites. The other side did the same. Soon, everything was a mess of people jumping on to one another, slapping each other's faces, and kitty fights.

Rob was shocked to find out that even he had an evil clone of himself. Dr. Wrecker grinned viciously as he socked him in the stomach.

"Aren't you supposed to know how to fight properly? You're the villain, for goodness sake!" he mocked. "But maybe if you become me again, you will be better at being the bad guy!"

Rob ignored what he said, instead punching him on the shoulder. Dr. Wrecker didn't give up, though.

"Even with the amount of time you spend making evil schemes, they always fail in some way! You yourself had to turn to your own nemesis for help! That's not how it's supposed to work!"

Rob just kicked him in the shin.

"As much as you want Gumball gone, you saved him when you could've just ended him at that moment! You had the power to do so!"

That stopped Rob. Dr. Wrecker smiled at that.

"Care to explain?"

Rob sighed. "I just...I just couldn't. I mean, he went all that way in the Void, in danger of disappearing from existence, just to save me. And I didn't deserve it. Should I really destroy someone who cares enough to not leave me to rot in a dimension that houses the world's mistakes? He really is hard to hate."

"I don't care!" yelled Dr. Wrecker. "What matters is that you get rid of your nemesis, no matter what! So you could take the show and have it centered around yourself instead of that annoying blue cat!"

Centered around. Centered around. Wait, wasn't the show about Gumball? And only Gumball? Sure, there were episodes that focused on other characters, and he usually had Darwin by his side, but it was still mostly him. If the world revolved around Gumball, what would happen if he wasn't there? Wait a minute...

Without a main character, wouldn't everything just fall apart? And literally, too? With no protagonist, there would be no show. If Rob had succeeded in throwing him into the Void, he would've ended up dooming everything. Himself included. No wonder his plans always seemed to not work! The writers didn't want to let him destroy the world!

With this new realization, Rob smacked his forehead. He couldn't believe he hadn't thought of that. Angrily, he glared at Dr. Wrecker.

"It won't work! We are living in a show, remember? Without the lead character, who is Gumball, which doesn't change no matter what, this world will vanish!"

Dr. Wrecker huffed. "Fine, if you want to be stubborn, you've got this coming!" Then he took out a device Rob had hoped to never see again.

Rob stared in disbelief at the remote Dr. Wrecker had in his hands. "What? How? I thought I destroyed that!"

"Those pieces had to end up somewhere, wouldn't they? Our leader repaired this, and gave it to us. If you won't let me take over your body, then I will get rid of you another way!" He pressed the AV button, and opened a portal that revealed a static place that had random pieces of whatnot floating around. The Void.

Rob gasped at the sight of the dimension. "No, I will not go in there a third time!" he screamed, then tackled Dr. Wrecker.

The two fought over the remote, pushing many of the buttons in the process. The first time, it caused "My Heart Will Go On" from _Titanic_ to play in the background, which sounded so wrong for the current situation.

"Uh, would someone please change that music to something more appropriate?" Zach asked as he threw a punch at Gumball.

Dr. Wrecker quickly changed the melody to more of a fast-paced battle-type song, then resumed fighting Rob.

The second time, the zoom button was hit, which made the camera crash into both cyclopses. The remote flew into the air and landed on the brightness button, making the lighting go down so low that it was completely pitch-black. Because of this, nobody could see what they were doing, so yells and painful grunts and demands to know who turned off the lights were heard.

Rob stumbled backwards, which caused him trip over something and fall down. He felt someone tumble onto him. He put his hand on the ground, and patted the area around him. By a stroke of luck, he came across something. He picked it up, felt it to make sure it was what he was looking for (he was NOT going to make the same mistake with the car keys again), and turned the brightness back up. Unfortunately, when he did, it was revealed that pretty much everyone had landed in very awkward positions with one another.

Rob looked down to see Gumball sprawled across his lap. Both of them blushed in embarrassment and moved away from each other. "Sorry." they apologized at the same time.

Once everyone was back on their feet, the fighting continued.

Dr. Wrecker and Rob were in a game of tug-of-war with the remote, pulling it back and forth, until Rob managed to yank it out of the former's grasp, making both of them fall to the ground.

"You just won't give in, will you?" the doppelganger grumbled.

Rob shot up from the ground, aiming the remote at Dr. Wrecker. "No! I may have been you for a short time, but never again! I never liked the voice anyway." As he said that, some force seemed to be pulling the evil cyclops towards the Void. "What's happening?" he shrieked.

Rob raised his eyebrow. That's how you were supposed to defeat the clones? As long as you stayed true to yourself, they couldn't get to you. As a result, they will go into the Void to be forgotten. With this knowledge, Rob walked towards his fallen enemy, an evil grin shaping his lips.

"I may be the villain, but that doesn't mean I can't be good every once in a while. Gumball may be annoying at times, and not very empathetic, but he did give me a reason to live. I can show that I appreciate that. I don't have to be the typical bad guy. I will never become you again, because who I am is all I need to stay in the show."

With each word, Dr. Wrecker moved closer and closer toward the dimension until he was just at the entrance. Rob lifted his thumb over the eject button, and pressed it.

A second later, he was gone. Rob closed the door to the Void, then looked around. People, by the looks of it, were having trouble defeating their doppelgangers. Rob got a determined look on his face, then ran over to help.

**I'm splitting up the war into chapters, as a way to leave you all in suspense. I'm sure a million questions are swarming your brain right now.**

**I do not own ****_Titanic_****. The movie and the song belongs to their respective owners.**

**I couldn't resist adding in comedic moments. **

**How many of you were expecting the mysterious object to be the remote? Kudos to you if you figured it out early on.**

**So, Rob has figured out how to defeat them! But can he help everybody in time?**

**I pretty much shattered the fourth wall...**

**Do you remember Darwin's line, "It's you he cares about destroying, not the world."? If so, it foreshadows Rob's realization about the world they lived in. Bonus points to you if you caught that.**

**The theory that the world will disappear if Gumball wasn't there comes from Supersinger9000.**

**Sorry to leave you all in suspense, but I have to leave now. ****_Hasta la vista!_**


	10. The War: Part Two

**I am SO sorry for the long wait. And at a suspenseful chapter, too. Homework's been piling up, plus I had a piano concert and a color guard competition (which we got second place in, by the way). Here, I hope this chapter will make up for this.**

Darwin struggled against his opposite. Dictator Darwin had a twisted smile as he literally threw insult after insult at the innocent fish.

"What? Too nice to fight back? Come on, you don't have to be this kind all the time. You don't have to hide your feelings anymore. You can say what you like to people, and there will be nothing they could do about it!"

Darwin clenched his teeth, suddenly knowing how Gumball must've felt when they had a similar battle.

"But you can make up for it by eliminating all danger in Elmore! Maybe even the whole world!"

Darwin fell to his knees, panting. He was covered in dirt, his shoes were torn, and he had a black eye. The evil fish grinned. He was almost broke.

"Darwin!" a voice yelled.

Darwin looked to his side to see a static cyclops running toward him. "Rob!" he cried out in relief.

Rob came over, and helped him to his feet. Dictator Darwin frowned.

"What are you supposed to be? You look like you could be the king of bad TV reception!" He laughed at his mean comment.

Rob dodged the insult. He bent down so he was at Darwin's level, then whispered into his ear. "I know how to defeat them. You just have to stay true to yourself. Try to resist their luring. They'll get sucked into the Void."

Before Darwin could ask what that was, Rob went off to help Anais, who was also having trouble.

Stay true to yourself? Well, he could do that.

Finding new strength, Darwin faced his doppelganger, a determined glare in his eyes.

"I know that it's okay to express yourself, but not so it hurts others' feelings. I learned that the hard way."

To his surprise, the background opened up by itself to reveal the Void. He suddenly felt a strange sense of deja vu, like he'd been there before. Dictator Darwin gasped as he started getting vacuumed towards it.

"I have accepted the fact that life isn't always safe. And that there is such a thing as going overboard with safety."

Dictator Darwin tried but failed to get away from the Void.

"I'm happy with who I am. I'm satisfied."

The last word echoed all around, the force pushing Dictator Darwin into limbo. The slit then closed.

Darwin took a few deep breaths to calm himself down. Did he really just do that?

The fighting going all around him snapped him back into reality. He then saw his adoptive brother getting tackled to the ground by Zach. He ran over to help.

Rob had managed to help Anais, Nicole, Richard, and a few others defeat their counterparts. They then turned to find Gumball failing miserably at battling Zach. They, too, rushed over to help.

Zach smiled triumphantly at Gumball. "You know, you don't have to be this way. You could be popular. Be the perfect boyfriend to Penny. Have others do your work. Change your failures into something more fun. And you always get away with whatever you do."

Gumball lay limp on the ground, not even trying to resist. Rob, Darwin, and the others realized that Gumball was giving in.

"No, don't do it, Gumball! Fight it! Please, do it for me, do it for Penny, do it for our family, do it for yourself! Please!" Darwin cried, tears sliding down his chubby cheeks, dropping to his knees for the second time today.

It was no use. Zach turned into a blue mist with purple shades and started absorbing himself into Gumball. When he was done, using the body, he got up, and grinned maliciously at the good side.

"There is no Gumball. There is only Zach. You guys may have defeated some of our comrades, but that will not stop us." As he said that, other corrupted people surrounded him.

"We will be back. For now, goodbye." The dark forces then vanished.

"Gumball! Noooo!" Darwin and Anais cried, then both broke down sobbing, their parents trying to comfort them. Penny sniffed as her eyes glistened. Carrie bowed her head with a sad expression on her face.

Rob was just mad at himself. He should've been faster. He should've been encouraging Gumball to fight back as well. He sat down, hugging himself, even forgetting about the remote.

Nicole wiped her tears away. "Guys, I know we are all sad about losing Gumball and everyone else to the darkness, but we won't let that bring us down! We will get everyone back. So let's not waste time crying. Instead, we should prepare!"

Rob looked up to see who was left. There was what remained of the Watterson family, a yellow fairy creature who was Gumball's girlfriend, that emo ghost called Carrie, that cactus, Carmen, that weird chinikin puppet named Sussie, that workaholic Larry, and that thumbprint thief. The army was small but would have to do. He got up.

"I think I have a plan."

Everyone looked at him.

"I think we should start by trying to look intimidating. Then, when we confront them, we will coax Gumball and the others out. Then, we will get rid of the darkness the same way we got rid of our counterparts."

Granny Jojo, an elderly pink rabbit who was the paternal grandmother of the Watterson children, raised an eyebrow. "And how are we supposed to get things to make us look scary?"

"How about the junkyard?" Sussie piped up. "I've seen lots of scary things in there."

"Me too!" Richard said.

"So have I." stated his father, Frankie.

"Not exactly what I would have in mind, but okay." Rob complied.

"I will do anything to get my Alan back!" cried Carmen.

The group then went off to the junkyard.

**Okay, please don't be mad at me. It's not going to be over just like that. **

**I foreshadowed this at the first paragraph of the first chapter. Plus, when the darkness starts covering Gumball in his first nightmare, that's a hint to this as well. If you caught one or both, congratulations.**

**Sussie is another one of my favorite characters. Couldn't resist adding her in.**

**I know you guys are probably going to be impatient for the next chapter, but it will come when it does. I know, I hate being left at a cliffhanger as well!**

**Will Rob and the others be able to save Gumball from the darkness? **

**That's all for now. Over!**


	11. The War: Part Three

**Hi, everyone! Here's Chapter 11. After that, four more chapters to go!**

The army split up in the junkyard, looking for things to use as clothing or warpaint or weapons. Rob was sorting through some items in a pile, when something caught his eye.

A familiar cardboard helmet.

He picked it up, inspecting it. It was weathered by rain, smudged with dirt, some pieces on the verge of breaking off, some ripped clean off, but it was undoubtedly what he thought it was.

His Dr. Wrecker helmet.

The last Rob had seen of it was when he was walking back home with Gumball and Darwin after a failed attempt to flood the town. In his frustration, he'd plucked it off and thrown it behind him.

"Hmm, I don't know why, but I feel like I'd seen that before." Darwin said as he walked by with brown fur-like materials in his arms.

"Of course you do. You made this for me when you and Gumball were turning me into Dr. Wrecker." Rob replied.

"Oh, did we really? Oh, wait, now I remember. Thanks, Rob!"

Anais shuffled by with a metal helmet. "I think we should speed things up. We don't know how long it's going to be until the dark side shows up."

"How about we do this in a montage?" Darwin suggested. "That way, we could get this done in under a minute."

Richard held a radio in his hands. "And don't forget, you always need music accompanying it!" He put it down and turned it on. A bouncy, upbeat tune blared through the speakers. Everyone started to sing along.

_When times are tough_

_When there's not much left_

_You do what you can_

_To bring the light back_

Sussie held a can of black paint. She slathered it all over herself, then dumped white paint over it, making it grey.

_There are times you want to cry_

Carmen looked at a picture of a dark-teal balloon with a drawn-on face with tears in her eyes.

_But you have to stay strong_

Darwin handed her a baton.

_If there's any hope_

_To bring the light back_

Nicole slipped on a torn white dress with slits in the legs. Richard put on a helmet that covered his entire face. Sal pulled out some thorny sticks from a pile of rubble, but accidently pricked his finger on one of them, making him scream.

_Each person counts_

_No matter who they are_

Anais struggled to reach for a piece of black armor she found on top of a junkpile. Rob noticed and kindly got it for her. In return, she wrapped her arms around him, surprising him, even though it wasn't the first time he got hugged by a Watterson.

_Everyone works together_

_To bring the light back_

Penny and Carrie painted white and black lines under the eyes of everyone.

_Bring the light back_

_Bring the light back_

_Bring the light back!_

The group gathered together, all wearing apocalyptic-type clothing, warpaint on their faces, weapons in their hands. Together, they will banish the darkness and bring the light back.

**The song is of my own creation. Honestly, despite my description of it, I have no idea how it would sound like. I'll let you readers decide!**

**You might have noticed that I don't update on Wednesdays. That's because a theater program I'm in is doing a production of ****_Mary Poppins_****, and I always have rehearsal on that day. I play the Park Keeper.**

**Next chapter is the last war segment. But it's not over yet after that!**

**When I said ****apocalyptic-type clothing, think of what everyone wore during the climax in "The Pizza".**

**In other news, I am pleased to tell you I'll be posting a new story soon. I'm just doing editing and revisions right now. If you read my other story, in my author note, I said that there will be a follow-up story. And this story is going to be that. If you're interested, stay tuned!**


	12. The War: Part Four

**The final war chapter! Happy March, everybody! Also, thanks for the review, Villicus!**

Rob led the battalion, his cardboard helmet on his head. He had debated on whether he should wear it or not. In the end, he decided he might as well, since Dr. Wrecker was once him, and he couldn't forget that. Using pieces found in the junkyard, he had repaired it.

The army stopped in the park, waiting for their enemies to show up. Nicole cracked her knuckles.

"Okay, Zach, I know that you and your army are out there! Come out and show yourselves!"

"Fine." Said people mysteriously appeared in front of them. Zach/Gumball, now dressed in his usual attire, stepped out.

"So, I see you have been preparing. Well, no amount of preparation can beat us! Attack!" he yelled, pointing at the other side, just as Gumball had done.

Darwin felt relief, knowing that there was still some Gumball left in Zach. He hadn't completely taken over him just yet.

"Gumball, I know you're still in there! Please, you are in charge! Don't let Zach take over!" Darwin screamed as he whacked a green bear with a bat.

"He's right! Gumball, that's not you! I know, because you are my older brother. While you may be pretty oblivious to my advice and thoughts, you always look out for me, like an older sibling should." Anais added as she dodged a spell from a witch.

"I think you are perfect just the way you are. I don't care if you're not popular. You see your mistakes and failures, and accept them as who you are." Penny yelled as she, in her blue wolf form, pounced on Miss Simian.

"You always do what you can to make people happy. You let me date your brother. You even let me borrow your body so I could eat that one time. Even if I did go too far." Carrie said as she possessed an orange humanoid and started making her hit herself.

"Gumball, you may have been an accidental baby, but we still love you, no matter how many shenanigans you get into. We couldn't ask for a better son." Nicole stated, punching a spray paint can, Richard nodding in agreement.

"I never thought I'd say this, but you are actually a pretty decent person. You care about the lives of everyone, even me. I'm thankful for that. You gave me a purpose in this world, and even though it's not exactly what I wanted, it allows me to live. I want you to keep being yourself. Nobody, not even Zach can control that." Rob shouted as he sparred with Zach/Gumball.

The entire time, the evil alter ego of Gumball had been flinching. He then dropped his weapon and started arguing with himself, everyone staring blankly at him.

"No, don't listen to them! Come on! Let me be in control! No, no, don't! Noooo!"

Gumball then started to emerge from Zach, who was turning back into mist. The doppelganger tried to pull him back in, but it appeared that Gumball had found strength in the words of those he was close to.

Gumball then ran to his family with tears in his eyes. He embraced them, sobbing.

"I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have given in to him. I was just so tired I couldn't resist anything!"

"It's okay, Gumball." his family said, getting a bit teary-eyed themselves.

Rob then jogged up to them. "Hate to interrupt, but can you save this for later? We've got bigger things to deal with right now." He pointed at Zach, who had materialized into his cat form.

Gumball broke from his family's grasp, glaring at the dark side. Rob then kneeled down, and whispered something in his ear.

Gumball then marched up to his doppelganger. "I will never give in to you again, Zach! No matter what, even if somehow I become you, my family will always get me back. They love me for who I am. I don't need to change."

The Void then opened up again. Like Darwin, Gumball also started to think something was familiar about that place. But he shook it off and continued.

"I'm not perfect. It's been proven many times. I'll probably make a million more mistakes tomorrow. But I'm only twelve. I'm still learning."

With each word, Zach started getting sucked towards the Void. "No, Zach will not lose to a weakling!" he screamed.

"Weak, huh?" Gumball snarked. "The real weakling here is you, Zach. Your side is losing to ours. Because we work together while you guys fight all the time!"

Zach dug his claws in the ground, but it proved to be useless against the force of the Void. Gumball walked right in front of him.

"I don't need to be someone I'm not for people to like me. I have a family that looks out for me, great friends, and a girlfriend who loves me. Who could ask for more?"

Zach was just in front of the Void. He looked at Gumball for the last time, with, for the first time, fear.

"I don't need to be you, Zach. I will always be Gumball."

Zach disappeared into the portal.

**Yes, Zach is gone! But it's not over yet, guys. Remember the figure!?**

**Penny being in her blue wolf form was an unintentional coincidence, as she was in that form when Gumball kissed her for the first time.**

**Next chapter, as mentioned before, the characters face the figure and also discover a heart-wrenching truth.**

**Yet another cliffhanger! I just love to do that, don't I?**

**Goodbye for now, everybody!**


	13. The Truth

**Chapter 13, everyone!**

As soon as the second-in-command was gone, so were the others. During the confrontation, his family and friends managed to remind them who they really were.

All of Elmore let out big breaths they had been holding in. Was it really over?

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case.

The figure growled at his defeat, then leaped onto the battlefield. Everyone looked at him in shock.

"You fools! Did you really think it was over, just like that?"

Gumball gasped. "Zach wasn't th-the ringleader in all this?"

"No! He can't possibly come back from the dead without a little help, right? Same goes for the others."

Everyone gaped.

"Just who are you, anyway?" Rob yelled.

"I'll remain anonymous, but let me show you." The figure removed his hood.

It was a human, but he wasn't animated like the ones from Richwood High. Instead, he was live-action.

"But why would you do all this?" Darwin asked. Rob bit his lip.

"To take over the show." the human answered.

"What do you mean?" asked Anais. She felt stupid saying that, since she was usually the one with all the answers.

"Have you ever stopped to take a closer look at the world you're living in? Think about it, the background literally split open and sucked in my army. Now, how would that be possible?"

Gumball got a sinking feeling in his gut.

"There have been hints of this going all around. Wattersons, do you remember that time Richard got a job, and the universe was almost destroyed? Why do you think that happened? Gumball and Darwin, why do you think your voices change every once in a while?"

"We thought we were just growing up." Darwin stated.

"About that, have you ever wondered why you never seem to age? And that your injuries seem to heal themselves in a short amount of time? How about the time the whole town turned against you Wattersons, then suddenly everything seemed to be back to the status quo? Or the time you lost all your money and Elmore started to disappear? Or when the town started glitching because of satellite interruptions? When you sing, music comes on automatically? When your house is destroyed, it mysteriously regenerates? Just think about it."

Gumball fell on his knees, tears pricking the corners of his eyes. No, it couldn't be! But what the figure was said made sense. All this time...

"Does that mean..." he whimpered before sobs overcame his words.

The figure nodded. "Yes, you are in a show. All of you. None of this is real. This 'amazing' world was built around you. Every move, every word, everything that happens was planned out in advance. All this time, millions of people have been watching you all."

Darwin clung to his brother as he, too, cried. Anais joined them as she wept. Nicole and Richard wrapped their arms around their children, not taking it any better than they were. Penny, Carrie, and their families completed the hug as tears streamed down their faces. Around them, people were sobbing as well, not even caring that strangers were watching them this very moment.

The only one who wasn't crying was Rob. He just felt defeated, even though he'd known all along. When he found out himself, his reaction was very similar to those all around him. He palmed his face with both hands, feeling like he was in the Void again.

The figure walked up to him, sneering. "Bet you wish you'd told them sooner, don't you?"

"I didn't know how well they'd take it. I didn't even think they'd believe me."

"Well, they do now."

Gumball looked up from his tears to see that his nemesis was actually taking it better than he was. He then saw the figure go to him. He wiped his face, then squeezed out if his family's hold to sprint over to them.

"Hey!" Both Rob and the figure turned to look at him.

"Why do you want to take over this show?" Gumball asked, trying not to choke on his words. He could feel something wet burning his eyes.

"Think about it. There have been some times where things got pretty dark for a kid's show. There have even been adult jokes and just plain inappropriate moments. So, I thought I'd transport myself into this show and twist it up a bit to aim towards..._older_ audiences."

Gumball and Rob both gagged and retched in disgust at what the figure was implying he would do. "Are you kidding me?" the cyclops groaned.

"That's just sick, man." Gumball agreed.

Rob moved so he was next to Gumball. He then happened to feel something in his pockets and pulled out the remote. The remote! He'd forgotten all about it! Behind their backs, he handed it to Gumball, hoping he'd get the idea.

The remote was somehow familiar to Gumball. He also felt like he knew how to use it. That reminded him of something.

"One thing you forgot, though."

The figure smiled smugly. "And what is that thing?"

"You said it yourself: Every move is planned." He held the remote in front of him and pressed a button. Before he had time to react, the figure was teleported back into the real world to face the director of the show.

**Finally, it's over, everyone! Elmore (and the show) are saved!**

**Sorry if you feel that I rushed with this. And yes, I am aware that Gumball and Darwin were told that they were a part of the 1% population that never grows up, but the show is full of continuity errors anyway, so I think we can let that slide.**

**So, everyone knows the truth about their world! Wonder how they're going to live with it...**

**The story's not over yet, guys. Next chapter, Gumball talks with Rob and discovers some things he never knew before.**

**Goodbye, everybody! Peace out!**


	14. The Aftermath

**The second-to-last chapter! Yikes! But I guess all good things come to an end someday...**

The Wattersons hosted a party at their house. Since they now knew they were in a show, they left it to the animators to fit everybody in there. They didn't worry about cleaning up afterwards either.

Gumball went to the refrigerator, poured himself a cup of soda, and sat down on the couch, mulling over the events of the past few days.

It all started with a nightmare. A nightmare that was warning him about future events. As much as he tried to hide it, everyone found out anyway. Another nightmare. About an upcoming war. Face-to-face encounter with the enemy. Enlisting help. Battling. Getting corrupted. Getting rescued from the darkness. Finding out the truth about the world they lived in. Defeating the villains. And now, things were back to normal?

Not quite. The war had changed everybody in some way. Him most definitely.

"Mind if I sit here?" a voice asked, breaking him out of his trance. He looked up to see it was Rob. He shook his head, giving him permission to do so.

The two sat in silence for a few minutes, while everybody else was hanging out, chomping on food, watching TV, and celebrating their victory.

Finally, Gumball spoke up. "So, I'm not one to break a deal. You can go back to being my nemesis. You don't have to be here right now."

"I don't really want to go back now, since I've actually liked being on your side." Rob said, making Gumball turn to look at him with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Why not? You stopped being my nemesis once, and it didn't end well! Although I am to blame for that."

Rob sat up. "I should explain why I switched to Banana Joe. You might get confused, since what I'm about to say, you don't remember any of it."

Gumball leaned in. "I'm listening."

Rob reached into his pocket and got out the remote. "One time, I tried to destroy you with this. Let's just say I ended up killing your siblings."

Gumball gasped, but gestured at him to go on. "You were of course torn about it, and your adrenaline from your anger caused you to gain the upper hand and throw me into the Void." Rob decided to omit the part about Gumball seeming to already know what was going to happen, since he now couldn't get an explanation about that.

Gumball perked up, that was the name of the place Zach and the others had gone too, the one that seemed so familiar.

"You changed your mind though, and went in after me. I got hold of the remote and was about to literally turn you off. But I had a moment of realization and rescued both of us. We became friends, but I had to rewind everything back to normal, so that is why you can't recall that day. Ever since then, I found myself unable to do any harm to you."

Rob finished his story with contempt. That sense of deja vu Gumball had felt earlier was stronger. That must've been why he felt he had been to the limbo place before! But it still felt like there was more than that.

"Wow. Thanks for telling me, Rob. If I had known, I would've just left you alone instead of trying to get you back." he said regretfully, taking a sip of his beverage.

"It's not your fault." Rob assured. "I should also tell you that wasn't the only time you went into the Void."

Gumball's eyes bulged, could that be the missing piece of the puzzle? "Tell me." he begged.

Rob chuckled. "Okay. You, Darwin, and Mr. Small went in there to rescue Molly."

"Sorry to interrupt, but why was she in there? Just curious." Gumball cut in.

"You know how she seemed so dull and boring? That's why." Rob answered.

Gumball nodded, that made sense.

"You guys ran past me trying to find her. I called for you, but you didn't hear me. So I clung to the back of a van you guys were using to escape the Void. You got out without a scratch, but I can't say the same for myself." Rob glanced at his static.

"You mean, you weren't originally this way?" Gumball asked.

Rob shook his head. "No. I mean, the hole was closing in when I got out. That, and the Void was trying to pull me back in. When one is stuck in there, everybody else forgets about them. After you were out, your memories were erased."

Gumball stayed silent, looking at his reflection in his soda cup. Rob asked, "Anything wrong?" with a hint of concern in his voice.

Gumball looked up. "I'm just sorry we didn't save you. I'm pretty sure if we had seen you, we would've rescued you."

"Hey, it's alright. Again, it's not your fault." Rob put a hand on the cat's shoulder.

The two didn't say anything for a few moments. "So, what are we going to do now since we are in a show?" Gumball asked.

"I knew all along." Rob blurted out before he could stop himself.

Gumball was surprised. "Really?"

At his nod, Gumball exclaimed, "No wonder you weren't crying! But how did you know?"

"In the Void, I got confused when I saw what looked like an early design of your house. Even more so when a CGI Darwin and a drawing of you were floating around. When I got out, I wondered why I was even sent there in the first place. Shortly after I became your nemesis, I remembered that I didn't really interact with people that much, and my shift from CGI to 2-D animation. I figured it out from there."

Gumball downed his drink. "A lot of things are now making sense. Like why you couldn't remember anything when Darwin and I found you."

"When Darwin suggested I become a bad guy, my memories came back."

Gumball stood up from the couch to get a refill on soda. When he came back, he said, "Now back to my question: What are we going to do now?"

Rob shrugged. "I asked myself the same thing when I found out. I decided to just live with it."

Gumball nodded. "I guess since we can't really do anything about it, we'll have to do the same."

"Good idea."

Gumball took a sip of his soda. "Since we're kind of friends now, how are we going to keep you from getting sent back to the Void? Since you told me that you were placed in there because the world considered you a mistake with no purpose."

"I've been thinking about it. I could be like an anti-hero, the character who does questionable actions, but still remain friends with you." Rob offered.

"That's not a bad idea. Since everything we say is planned, I think the writers will allow it." Gumball held his hand out.

Rob smiled, and accepted it. He then looked down at the remote. "What are we going to be doing with this? I can't crush it, since the pieces could fall into the wrong hands."

"I guess we'll have to keep it safe. My parents and sister still don't know about the basement, so I can hide it in there. I'll tell Darwin as well." Gumball suggested.

"I like it. Here." Rob handed the remote over to Gumball. He went down to the basement and hid it in a drawer. He then came back to the living room., where Darwin slapped an arm around his back.

"Hey Gumball, want to play some video games? I bet I can beat you!"

Gumball grinned. "Oh, you're on!"

He quickly sneaked back to the couch. "Excuse me Rob, but I'm going to hang out with Darwin now." Rob simply nodded.

The two brothers then played the rest of the afternoon off, worry-free for the first time in a while.

**Imagine that Rob told Gumball about the Void in an unseen scene.**

**So, Gumball now knows about the events of "The Rerun" and "The Void", thus giving him a better understanding of his former nemesis.**

**Next chapter is the epilogue. Enjoy the rest of your day!**


	15. The Epilogue

**The very last chapter! Even though I'm sad, at least it's been fun. **

Gumball squirted some toothpaste on his toothbrush. It had been a few weeks since the war. School had been canceled to give the kids time to heal. But now, things were starting where they left off.

A lot had happened between the victorious battle and today. Gumball had passed on the stories about his adventures in the Void to his family and friends. They, too, agreed that they had to move on and live their lives. Gumball figured, that, like all shows, they would eventually have to be canceled or just end. Until then, they would have to make the most out of their existence.

Gumball and Darwin also helped Rob adjust to his new role. They got him enrolled in school again, so he could hang out with them all the time. He also befriended a few other classmates.

"It feels weird now doing something as simple as getting ready for school, don't you think?" Darwin mused as he slipped on his sneakers.

"I agree. It's still hard to believe, that, a while ago, we were fighting some bad guys. Now we're back to our normal routine." Gumball replied with a faraway look in his eyes.

A little while later, Gumball, Darwin, and Anais boarded the bus with a new addition.

"I still remember the time I tried to blow up this bus." Rob said a bit shamefully.

"It's all in the past, Rob." Gumball sat next to Penny, Darwin and Carrie behind them. Rob sat on the other side with Anais.

"Guess what? I convinced my family to come out of their shells!" Penny squealed excitingly.

"Really? That's great! What did you say to convince them?" Gumball smiled as he listened to Penny recall the events.

At school, all anyone could talk about was the war. Even Molly had something exciting to say. There were stories going around in the hallways, the cafeteria, even the classrooms. Miss Simian had to shush them many times, but she eventually gave up and let them talk. Rob found it rather amusing.

At recess, Gumball got hold of a red rubber ball. "Who's up for a game of dodgeball?!" he called out.

The kids screamed, then ran out to the field to divide themselves into teams. Gumball was about to go after them, but looked behind to find that Rob was hanging back. He held his hand out.

"Are you coming? We need an even number of people to play." Rob smiled, and took it. The two of them sprinted to the field.

**I think this story deserved a sweet, short ending. Also for the fact that Ben Bocquelet is leaving soon, the future is uncertain for this show. I really hope it continues, but, since I've heard both sides, I'm not sure...**

**Well, it's been fun, everybody. Thank you to all who took time out of their day to read this, and for the reviews. I don't know if I'll write more TAWOG fanfiction, but if I get more inspiration, I will. And you readers are welcome to put suggestions!**

**In other news, I got a new fic up! You can find it in the WALL-E fanfiction archive. I just wanted to finish this first before focusing on that.**

**Signing off for the last time on this story, CocoDisney.**


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